I'll Be Seeing You by A.P. Hallmark Read Free Book Online Page A

mind, I run upstairs to take a long, hot shower then see about dinner.
    Pulling a large pan of lasagna that my housekeeper left in the warmer, I inhale the luscious aroma and smile because it’s still warm. Thank you, Rebecca! Dishing up a plate, along with salad that she left she left in the refrigerator, I sit down at the breakfast bar and devour it all.
    Bored, I dish another helping of lasagna and pull out my cell to look at my texts and emails. Seeing a text from Jessie, I read it first.
    I like her, all right. ~ Jessie
    Okay, good. Just don't fuck this up. ~ Matthew
    I won't. Do you have time for a beer? ~Jessie
    Not tonight. Surgery in the morning. Going to crash soon. ~ Matthew
    OK. See you in the a.m. ~Jessie
    Yep. ~ Matthew
    Finishing my second helping of lasagna, I rinse my plate and put my dishes in the dishwasher, deciding to call Joy before I call it a night.
    "Hello," she answers on the third ring.
    "Hi, Joy. It's Matthew."
    "Matthew," she says in a whisper.
    "How was the rest of your day?" I ask, fishing for something to talk about.
    "It was good. I'm nearly finished with the book I started on Monday. So that's good. How about yourself?"
    "Uneventful. I reviewed case files all day. That's one of the reasons for this call. I wanted to let you know I won't be at the café tomorrow because this surgery is scheduled early and will take all morning." I wait for her to say something, but there is complete silence, and I begin to wonder if she has hung up.
    "Joy? Are you there?" I ask.
    "Yes, I'm here. I was thinking about the wonderful things that you do. What you do with your hands? With your eyes? It's truly a wonderful gift you share and I'm honored to even know you.”
    "What a kind thing to say. Thank you," I say, astonished at her thoughtful encomium.
    "Hey, I have news for you. I spoke with Jessie today. I let him have it regarding Laura and told him that if he was only out for sex, I wanted him to cancel his date."
    "Oh, Matthew, thank you. I appreciate it."
    "I received a text from him a little bit ago that said he wasn't canceling because he actually likes her."
    "That's wonderful because she really likes him, too. I didn't want to tell you that, fearing you would relay that back to him. From here on out, though, I'm staying out of it," she vows.
    "I agree. I have enough on my plate to be worrying about his love life." Again, I notice the deafening silence on the other end.
    "Joy?"
    "I want to say this before Saturday, Matthew. I'm a communicator. I don't hide things, and I like to talk about things that are on my mind. Does that bother you?" she asks cautiously.
    "No, actually it's rather refreshing and saves a lot of time. Do you have something you’d like to say now?" I ask, grinning at her sweet confession.
    "I don't do casual sex. In fact, I don't do sex at all. It’s not that I don't want to but it’s just that men aren't attracted to me in that way. If you just want to see me for a casual sex relationship, I need to tell you right now … don't. I've never been with a man, intimately. So … that's it." She ends her rant with a deep cleansing breath.
    "Joy, I will have to argue your point that men don't find you attractive. I've watched how they look at you. Just because you can't see it, doesn't mean it isn't so. Trust me when I say, they want you … that way. Unfortunately, most men don't know how to approach a beautiful woman. I just took the coward's way out and approached Conrad.”
    Once again, there's silence on the other end.
    "Has no one ever told you how beautiful you are?" I ask cautiously.
    "Yes. Laura did, yesterday,” she answers quietly.
    "I mean a man, silly. A grown man. Have you never been held or cherished?" I ask her.
    "I remember my dad holding me when I was a little girl, but the older I get, the more distant that memory becomes. So, no, I've never had a man touch me, really." she confesses sadly.
    I have no idea what to say, I’m speechless. This girl has never had